Alcohol in the last few weeks before first cycle IVF - to drink or not to drink?!

[WelshW0nder]

Hi all,

We are due to start our first cycle of IVF on 28th June. I have read and heard lots of different things about alcohol and IVF and wanted to see what others are doing / being told to do!!

I fully expect and plan not to drink alcohol at all once injections have started and hope that my partner will support me in laying off the beers during this time too! I understand that from the time of embryo transfer until pg test I need to consider myself pg with regards to foods and drink!

BUT what about now?? What about these last few weeks leading up to starting treatment? We have been advised that neither of us should really be drinking at all even now, but that the occasional glass of wine won't harm. The nurse said that even though the sperm is made about 3 months before it's "used" she still recommends that he stops the booze now!

We have a social event tonight and another next weekend which I know if I don't drink at it will raise people's suspicions and no doubt lead to idle gossip! I don't want to lie to people and use the antibiotics excuse but equally don't want to tell the whole world about the impending IVF or for them to jump to the wrong conclusions!

I clearly want to give is the best chance possible so in my heart of hearts think I am leaning towards complete abstinence! Can anyone offer any advise on what their experiences have been of booze before and during IVF treatment? Help! Confused!

Hi

I've had 3 cycles. First cycle was three years ago when I was 37 and was successful, gorgeous DS is 21 months old. From what I remember I didn't drink at all once I started down regging and had cut alcohol right down a couple of months before that.

Second cycle was unsuccessful and I had a couple of glasses of wine every now and again. Third cycle unsuccessful. Ironically during the third cycle I thought I had been really careful - I had cut out alcohol, had acupuncture and really watched my diet. The result was that there were only 2 eggs collected, one abnormal fertilisation and the other failed to fertilise!

I'm now 41 and we are about to start our 4th (and final) cycle. I've decided that I will have an occasional glass of wine during treatment (obviously not during the week of EC and ET and during the 2WW) but having that occasional glass will make me less stressed.

Best of luck with your IVF xx

Sorry, that probably doesn't help with your decision at all!!

I had a few glasses a week just before starting our first cycle - I am now 23 weeks pregnant! I think being relaxed is best and a couple of glasses a week, when I really felt like it, definitely helped me relax.
Best of luck xx

Thanks both!

@tak1ngchances congratulations that's great news! I hope all is going well?!

@Amyand good look with your next cycle!

I had a few glasses last night and if I am honest probably a few too many on Friday!! I have decided that now the weekend is out of the way I am going to cut right back! I wouldn't normally drink midweek anyway but have decided on a glass or two next weekend (at another social event which would raise suspicions if I didn't drink at!) and then I am starting with down regs so will go tea total till after my 2ww and hopefully for the next 9 months!

One of my biggest concerns is that I don't want people to jump to the wrong conclusions or to have to tell too many people before there is anything to tell! It feels daft being so bothered what people think and know but I feel that I want people to know when there is news not know all about treatment!

Thanks again! Good luck xxx

After our third cycle, we decided to take a few months off. In that time, we went to a very boozy family party in Ireland and had a few other nights out. We then made a last minute decision to fit in one last cycle before Xmas and to our astonishment, it worked. The cycle started about 3 weeks after the boozy party. I even ended up having a tiny glass of wine the night before egg collection as it was our work Xmas dinner and not drinking would have been very conspicuous. I found it less stressful to sip one glass slowly over a few hours than to think of excuses for not drinking at all to my work colleagues.

On previous cycles I have drunk very lightly (maybe one, two at the absolute max, glasses of wine a week in the run up to the cycle and up to ET.

I had no alcohol from the start of down reg in each of my 4 ICSI.
I don't think medically it was absolutely necessary but I found it better for me to have an absolute cut off point. I was a smoker until our first treatment too. I just didn't want to have any regrets. The chances of success are already so slim and when the ICSI didn't work ( which is how it panned out ) I didn't want to think I could have done something differently.
As far as what people at a party think of me not drinking ....... seriously could not give one fuck. People aren't as interested as you think.
Very best of luck with your treatment cycle by the way. Be good to yourselves. It's a very intense time and you will really not care if people are speculating on what's going on or not.

Although chaps start making the sperm 3 months before, it's still maturing and can be affected by alcohol right up until it is used. DH was advised to stop drinking 3 months before IVF and there was a significant improvement in SA from 6 weeks before IVF (when we were expecting ICSI due to sperm quality) to the date of our EC, when his sample was more than good enough to go with "normal" IVF. We were advised that alcohol made more difference to sperm quality than eggs at this stage.
You'd be surprised how few people notice you're not drinking, if you're subtle about it. Ice and a slice make soda/tonic water look like G&T - a bloody mary and a "bloody shame" look exactly the same. I went to a champagne reception once and nursed the same 2/3 glass for the whole evening - nobody noticed that I never drank from it.
I guess you do what you need to do and if you need a glass of wine to relax, then it may be worth it for you. For me, it was worth not drinking for a bit to get the best possible chance and limit the "what ifs"...and you may as well get in practice for the 3 months or so that you're pregnant, but not ready to "come out" about it yet

I didn't drink much before or during my first unsuccessful cycle. My theory this time is that I will drink moderately up until downregging as I have some big events planned; weddings, races etc but I won't drink during the week and only one night on a weekend.

I'm not downregging at all this time but I won't drink at all the month leading up to EC. Good luck. When do you start?

I drank before down regging as we were away on holidays but DH didn't drink at all and maintained his Healthy sperm plan. His initial SA when we first went to docs was three months after Christmas when he had been boozing and in sauna loads and it was bad, he totally overhauled things cutting down majorly on coffee, taking vitamins, loose boxers, no alcohol and saw a huge improvement so he kept that up for the cycle.
We had a great result and had a successful first cycle and subsequent first FET from that batch.

Borttagen - I'm currently down-regging for a FET cycle this time - how was that? I don't know anyone who's done it and I've got no idea what to expect.